Electrical cord having integral attachment means



M. UMANOFF 3,072,735 ELECTRICAL CORD HAVING INTEGRAL ATTACHMENT MEANS Jan. 8, 1963 Filed June 29. 1961 INVENTOR: MAE T/A/ mun/0F;-

j ATTGR JY United States Patent Ofifi ce 3,072,735 Patented Jan. 8, 1963 3,072,735 ELECTRICAL CORD HAVING INTEGRAL ATTACHMENT MEANS Martin Umanotf, Huntington, N.Y., assignor to R. A.

MacPlum Industries, Inc., Clifton, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed June 29, 1961, Ser. No. 120,778 Claims. (Cl. 174-70) This invention relates to electric power transmitting cord and more particularly to such cord having means for attaching itself to the price card-supporting molding mounted on the front edge of a store shelf.

The stores for which the present invention is primarily intended are those, such as supermarkets, having longrows of shelves stocked with many different varieties of merchandise. These shelves ordinarily have moldings of 'C-shaped cross-section mounted on their front edges to support numeral-bearing cards which indicate the price of the merchandise on the shelf directly above the cards. In these stores, it is often desirable to provide electric power at some point intermediate the ends of a long shelf for energizing lights or electrical displays at the point where a particular brand of merchandise is stocked. In order to do this, power must be brought from some remote point in the store, since the shelves are not ordinarily provided with built-in electrical outlets. Heretofore, supplying such power has been a cumbersome procedure involving the tacking down along the shelves of electrical cord for carrying power, and in cases where the electrical cord remains exposed, it presents dangers and gives the store an unsightly appearance.

', It is a principal object of this invention to overcome these and other problems by providing electrical cord which may quickly and easily be securely attached to the shelves in concealed fashion.

It is another object of the invention to provide electrical cord which may be secured to the (Z-shaped moldings of the store shelves without the aid of any additional tools or accessories.

It is a further object to provide electrical cord which may be removed from the shelves with ease when it is no longer needed.

It is still another object to provide electrical cord which is practical and inexpensive to manufacture and install.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, in section, showing electrical cord according to the present invention secured to the price-card-supporting molding of a supermarket shelf;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partially in section, of the electrical cord in normal condition; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, partially in section, showing the cord in expanded condition.

Referring to FIG. 1, the front margin of a store shelf is shown with a molding 11 secured to its front edge by means of the fastener 12. The molding 11, as usual, has a C-shaped cross-section presenting an upper inturned lip 13 and a lower inturned lip 14. The molding 11 is wider than the thickness of the shelf, and hence the lower end of the molding projects below the underface of the shelf.

Referring to FIG. 2, the electrical cord comprises a pair of electrically conductive wires 15 embedded in insulation material 16. The insulation 16 is generally U-shaped, the wires 15 being embedded in one arm of the U. The other arm of the U is provided along its free edge with a hook portion 17. Alternatively, the insulation material surrounding the wires 15 may be thought of as having a curled-up extension which terminates in the portion 17.

Preferably, the insulation 16 is a resilient material. Consequently, when desired, the arms of the U may be spread apart and the hook portion 17 may be bent toward alignment with its respective arm, as shown in FIG. 3. If the insulation is released, however, it will tend to return to the condition shown in FIG. 2.

When it is desired to bring electrical power to a particular point on a store shelf, electrical cord of FIG. 2 is expanded to the condition shown in FIG. 3, and the hook portion 17 is laid over the lower lip 14 of the molding 11. The remainder of the insulation 16 is then wrapped around the lower edge of the molding 11 so as to locate the wire-carrying portion of the insulation behind the molding. In practice, of course, the entire length of the cord could not be expanded to the condition of FIG. 3 at one time. Instead, a short section is expanded and laid' over the lower lipv and edge of the molding 11, and then the next adjacent section is similarly expanded and laid over the lip and edge of the molding, and so forth until the entire length of cord is secured to the molding. Since the insulation always tends to return to the condition shown in FIG. 2, it will be seen that the insulation, once placed on the molding 11, frictionally grips the molding and supports the cord as shown in FIG. 1.

At the end of the cord, means (not shown) are provided for connecting the cord to a source of power. At the point on the shelves where power is desired, the power is tapped from the cord in any well-known manner.

It will be appreciated that the present invention provides electrical cord which can be attached to the molding 11 Without tools or accessories, and the major portion of which is concealed beneath and behind the molding.

The invention has been shown and described in preferred form only, and by way of example, and many variations may be made in the invention which will still be comprised within its spirit. It is understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment except insofar as such limitations are included in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Electrical cord adapted to be mounted on the pricecard-supporting molding of a supermarket shelf, said molding having an inturned lip along at least one of its edges, said cord comprising a continuous length of insulation material having a U-shaped cross-section, the arms of said U being arranged in spaced-apart substantially parallel planes, one arm of the U having a continuous length of electrically conductive wire embedded in it, and the other arm having at its free end an inturned hook portion lying in a plane between and substantially parallel to said arms and adapted to fit over the lip of said moldingl 2. Electrical cord according to claim 1 wherein said insulation material is resilient whereby the arms of the U may be spread apart and said hook portion may be bent toward alignment with said other arm to permit said insulation to be wrapped around said edge of the molding and said hook portion to be laid over said lip.

3. Electrical cord adapted to be mounted on the pricecard-supporting molding of a supermarket shelf, said molding having an inturned lip along at least one of its edges, said cord comprising a continuous length of electrically conductive wire embedded in a continuous length 4. Electrical cord according to claim 3 wherein said insulation and extension are integral.

5. The combination of a price-card-supporting molding secured to the front edge of a supermarket shelf, said molding having an inturned lip along at least one of its edges, and an electrical cord comprising a continuous length of electrically conductive Wire embedded in a continuous length of insulation arranged behind said molding, and a continuous resilient extension integral with said insulation and curled around said edge and inturned lip of said molding in order to attach said wire to said mold ing, said extension having a cross-section normally more tightly curled than when it is curled around said molding whereby it serves to frictionally 'grip said molding.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,841,257 Schemmel Jan. 12, 1932 2,647,160 Hood July 28, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 598,079 Great Britain Feb. 10, 1948 314,763 Switzerland Aug.'15, 1956 800,274 Great Britain Aug. 20, 1958 

1. ELECTRICAL CORD ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON THE PRICECARD-SUPPORTING MOLDING OF A SUPERMARKET SHELF, SAID MOLDING HAVING AN INTURNED LIP ALONG AT LEAST ONE OF ITS EDGES, SAID CORD COMPRISING A CONTINUOUS LENGTH OF INSULATION MATERIAL HAVING A U-SHAPED CROSS-SECTION, THE ARMS OF SAID U BEING ARRANGED IN SPACED-APART SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL PLANES, ONE ARM OF THE U HAVING A CONTINUOUS LENGTH OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE WIRE EMBEDDED IN IT, AND THE OTHER ARM HAVING AT ITS FREE END AN INTURNED HOOK PORTION LYING IN A PLANE BETWEEN AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID ARMS AND ADAPTED TO FIT OVER THE LIP OF SAID MOLDING. 